September, 2011:

Fairly good, standard zombie fair with an interesting main character. The story “unfolds” rather than “develops” as the characters make their trek to a mountain cabin refuge. I say that because it comes across as almost a “slice of life” tale, without the usual story arc and character epiphany. The main character develops slowly throughout the book (in a very well-written manner), but the book’s ending leaves me thinking that it was just unfinished.

Oh… and having been a ferret owner, I was somewhat miffed at the pet ferret being called a “rodent” multiple times. 😉

Merchants of Doubt is an extremely well-written, well-documented history of the shenanigans employed by those who, in an attempt to avoid unfavorable legislation or the potential loss of profit, attempt to discredit the science rather than accept reality and come up with an appropriate solution to the problems of the world.

The history lesson runs the gamut, including cigarette smoking, acid rain, ozone depletion, second-hand smoke, DDT, and of course global warming. The authors lay out their case with heavily documented precision, showing what the actual science indicated and how it was distorted and misrepresented by those who feared the repercussions. The book shows how disinformation and fear-mongering were used to mislead the public about what the actual scientific evidence showed and what degree of certainty the research scientists had reached.

It’s a sad statement about the lengths to which some will go for their ideology.